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3981. China's Communist Youth League 90 Years On

Author:
Paul Nash
Publication Date:
09-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Abstract:
fter 90 years, China’s Communist Youth League is still going strong. Much has happened in that time. The nation has experienced political revolution, foreign invasion and a bloody civil war. It has experimented on a large scale with its economy, and its social structure, with devastating results. Then it reintegrated into global capitalism with astonishing success. And all along the Youth League has grown bigger and better organized. It seems to thrive on change, and always manages to find a curiously subtle way of militating against the pernicious influences thought to be imperilling the nation’s young people. Today, however, its members face something of a moral dilemma: what to make of Apple’s iPad. The Xinhua news agency and People’s Daily, the two principal media outlets representing the views of the Communist Party, have run a series of editorials assailing the American company’s practices in China. They have uncovered the “Five Sins of Apple.” The top three would sound agreeably familiar to an American Christian if they were not joined to an ideology perceived to spurn religion: hypocrisy, indifference, and impurity. According to these articles, the “bright Apple Inc.” flouts the copyrights of Chinese authors even as the United States condemns China for not protecting foreign intellectual property; Apple is indifferent to the pollution its local manufacturers produce; and the company allows erotic content to be propagated on its devices in flagrant violation of China’s strict anti-pornography laws. The Youth League jury, it seems, is still out—but not because it is torn between the iPad’s desirability and the evidence against Apple. Its members have become wary of such media campaigns sponsored by the government, recognizing their potential, or their intent, to divert public attention from more pressing domestic problems. If they approve their moral thrust, they also feel obliged to consider their message in full context, which includes the motives of their origination. After all, the league encourages it members to “seek the truth from all the facts.”
Topic:
Communism, Youth Culture, Youth, and Morality
Political Geography:
China and Asia

3982. The Impact of Information Technology Outsourcing on Productivity and Output: New Evidence from India

Author:
Grace Kite
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
School of Oriental and African Studies - University of London
Abstract:
Neither the literature on outsourcing nor the literature on the impact of information technology (IT) have previously quantified the effects of IT outsourcing. This is a particularly important omission in India, which has an IT outsourcing industry that is well placed to bring world-class applications of the technology to domestic customers. This paper provides econometric evidence which shows that there is a strong positive impact of IT outsourcing on output and productivity in India. It also demonstrates that in aggregate, IT outsourcing makes a substantial contribution to Indian economic growth.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Job Creation, Information Technology, and Outsourcing
Political Geography:
India and Asia

3983. Is the Twin Deficits Hypothesis Valid in the case of Turkey?

Author:
Fuat Sekmen and Unsal Ozan Kahraman
Publication Date:
12-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bilgi
Institution:
Sakarya University (SAU)
Abstract:
This study deals with the relationship between the current account deficit and the budget deficit in Turkey. Artificial Neural Networks are employed to investigate this relationship. According to the results of the application the twin deficits hypothesis which indicates a positive correlation between the two deficits isn’t valid in Turkey. As this paper tries to analyze the factors accounting for the absence of this kind of correlation, it develops a flexible understanding which doesn’t refuse a hypothesis or a theory (the twin deficits hypothesis) completely, on the contrary, emphasizes the importance of investigating the conditions in which a hypothesis, theory or a model is valid.
Topic:
Economics, Budget, Finance, and Deficit
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Asia

3984. South Korea’s Nuclear Development Assistance in Southeast Asia: The Implications and Challenges of the Security Environment in the 21st Century

Author:
Lisa He
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
Since the advent of the Nuclear Age, the terrifying prospect of an accidental nuclear explosion raises grave security concerns. This issue remains under-examined in Asia, even though there is an unprecedented growth in nuclear generating capacity in China, Japan, South Korea, and India. With Southeast Asia in its backyard, these Asian nuclear powers have increasingly ubiquitous influence in shaping the sub-region’s security environment.
Political Geography:
Asia and South Korea

3985. Aligned but not Allied: ROK—Japan Bilateral Military Cooperation

Author:
Jiun Bang
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
Conflict and cooperation are constants in the discipline of international relations. In the case of the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) and Japan’s bilateral military relations, the overwhelming interest in what drives conflict has tended to overshadow any analysis of diplomatic cooperation. In fact, many have cited the lingering effects of the Cold War to be one of the key driving forces behind the dynamics surrounding the Korean peninsula,1 what Victor Cha calls, ‘a stickiness of Cold War thinking’2 that has perpetuated a discourse mired in the vocabulary of realism. Subsequently, realism has served as the default explanation for the rationale of interaction within the Northeast Asia region, with no rigorous empirical testing of whether those ‘truisms’ are indeed grounded in facts. Hence, the underlying motivation behind this paper started with questioning whether security, and thus, accordant cooperation in Northeast Asia was really driven by realism. Specifically, how much explanatory power do the various theoretical discourses have in accounting for the instances of bilateral military cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo?
Topic:
Security, Bilateral Relations, and Defense Cooperation
Political Geography:
Japan, Asia, and South Korea

3986. From “Cardinal Sin” to Policy Agenda? The Role of Capital Controls in Emerging Market Economies

Author:
June Park
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
Korea’s economic development since the 1980s has occurred in the context of capital controls and a strong governmental role in achieving sustained growth. The experiences of two financial crises—the Asian financial crisis (1997–98) and the global financial crisis (2008–09)—confirm the impression of a highly responsive state, although different pictures emerge as to how the Korean government sought to abolish or deploy capital controls in accordance with global consensus and intellectual trends in international political economy. Contrary to the policies of financial liberalization by the Korean government in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, the Korean government shifted to a policy direction favoring capital controls following the global financial crisis, as seen in recent Group of 20 proclamations. However, given the necessity of capital inflows for an outward-oriented economy such as Korea’s, which is heavily dependent on foreign capital inflows for investment, it is questionable to what extent Korea can effectively take advantage of capital controls, what the goals of such controls should be, whether there will be strong political backing for implementation of such policies, and what political risks the current government faces in implementing new capital controls. This paper seeks to provide answers to these questions by examining Korea’s initiatives for capital controls in light of its history and the surge of capital inflows to emerging market economies since the global financial crisis.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Markets, and Domestic Policy
Political Geography:
Asia and South Korea

3987. Agencies, Roles and Their Choices: Reform of the Korean Legal Profession from 1995 to 2007

Author:
Yukyoung Choe
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
Northeast Asian countries including Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan, have recently considered adopting the U.S.-style legal education as a revolutionary remedy to dissolve chronic problems of the Pre-Reform system. Especially in Korea and Japan, reform of the legal professional training system underwent a profound transformation by switching their four-year undergraduate legal education system to a three-year postgraduate – the U.S.-style law school — legal education.1 Although the legal education system itself does not guarantee an advent of a law-governed society, the U.S.-style law school system provides symbolic meaning to Asian countries moving toward the rule of law, access to justice, and globalization.2 Despite seemingly unending controversies, both Japan and Korea implemented the postgraduate law school system in 2004 and 2009 respectively. They both have conformed to the globalization pressure, the public demands of establishing a law-governed society by expanding the size of their legal education, and increasing the number of practicing lawyers.
Topic:
Education, Law, Rule of Law, and Domestic Policy
Political Geography:
Asia and South Korea

3988. Another Energy Competition in Northeast Asia Coal Policies of South Korea and Japan in Comparative Perspective

Author:
Eunjung Lim
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
Northeast Asian countries compete against one another in order to procure natural resources from abroad. Moreover, competition surrounding energy-related technologies is getting overheated in this region. It would be worth paying attention to energy competition between South Korea and Japan, so we can better understand energy security in Northeast Asia by comparing South Korea’s and Japan’s energy strategies. This paper examines how important coal is in the two countries’ economies and why coal has become so important . It also analyzes the similarities and differences of their coal policies, especially focusing on policy trends and prospects related to Clean Coal Technology. This paper will warn of another hot competition among the countries in this region and suggest multilateral cooperation.
Topic:
Natural Resources, Coal, Energy, and Competition
Political Geography:
Japan, Asia, and South Korea

3989. The Dollar’s Influence in East Asia: Benevolent or Overbearing? A Comparative Answer in the U.S. Economic Aid and the Dollar Standard

Author:
Gloria Koo
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
There is no doubt that the United States has been a dominant economic power in the world. U.S. troops are deployed in the various corners of the world, and their military presence is often a strong force in propping up the status quo or a peaceful co-existence, possibly and hopefully more peaceful than otherwise. The U.S. has held an important role in the international system as a military power. But also in an economic sense, the U.S. has been a dominant leader. As a major consumer market and an investor, U.S. influence on the global economy is significant to say the least. This is especially true in East Asia. Through military alliance and economic aid, the U.S. crafted close relationships with East Asian countries and influenced their domestic policymaking. For example, as a provider of military and economic stability, the U.S. wielded much influence on domestic macroeconomic policies of Korea and Taiwan during the early industrialization years of 1950s-60s. The economic aid came with conditions, and Korea and Taiwan complied. Although explicit economic aid stopped in the late 1960s, other forms of assistance, for example loans, grants and technology transfers continued, and more importantly security alliances remained strong. The U.S. still holds much influence over Korea and Taiwan, as a military ally and a major trade partner. In the present day, Korea and Taiwan closely peg their currencies to the U.S. dollar and hold large currency reserves in dollars. As a result, macroeconomic stability of Korea and Taiwan depends largely on the stability of the dollar. In this way, the dollar’s influence on Korea and Taiwan is quite significant. Similar to but also different from the way that Korea and Taiwan depended on U.S. economic aid, they again depend on the dollar to anchor economic stability.
Topic:
International Relations, Economics, Investment, Currency, and Economic Stability
Political Geography:
Taiwan, Asia, South Korea, and United States of America

3990. South Korean National Identity and its Strategic Preferences

Author:
Andrew Kim
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies
Institution:
Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)
Abstract:
Natural disasters are known to draw nations closer together. The 2004 tsunami relief efforts of various states, especially the United States, were widely credited with improving relations with Indonesia. An outpouring of sympathy and, especially, a major assistance program, elicited public gratitude at a time of great need. Yet, heightened sensitivity in the aftermath of a tragic disaster holds the potential for negative sentiments as well. Readiness to believe that other nations regard the disaster as fitting punishment can translate into exaggerated reactions, especially in this age of Internet postings and blogs. In 2008, China suffered a major earthquake. In 2011, Japan experienced an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor leakages. South Korea is located between these two states, and the way its response to these devastating events were interpreted by its neighbors opens a window into its dynamic national identity and how such developments shape its strategic outlook.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, Natural Disasters, and Identity
Political Geography:
Japan, China, Asia, and South Korea